Hoyer Reportedly Unlikely To Remain with Texans

Tuesday, March 29

Rapoport reported the Texans and Hoyer "appear headed for a divorce and both sides sound OK with a fresh start."

On March 17, Rand Getlin of NFL Network said Hoyer likes playing for head coach Bill O'Brien and doesn't want to leave Houston.

On March 10, Albert Breer of NFL Network reported "the Texans are indeed exploring trading [Hoyer]" now that they have signed Osweiler. Mark Maske of the Washington Post added the quarterback would be available for a "very modest price."

Hoyer Unlikely To Find Starting Job

Hoyer is due $4.8 million in the final season of a two-year contract, per Spotrac—well above the going rate for backup quarterbacks. For comparison, Osweiler received $1.1 million as a second-stringer last year with the Denver Broncos, per Spotrac.

However, Rapoport noted an outright release of Hoyer might be the most likely option. If so, the Texans will save the $4.8 million he’s due, as none of his money is guaranteed.

Hoyer started 12 games last year in Houston’s quarterback carousel that also included Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden. He was never a clear-cut No. 1, but Hoyer was who the team turned to in the playoffs.

But in Houston's AFC Wild Card Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hoyer threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in a 30-0 rout. That performance was largely a factor in why the Texans were in the market for a quarterback this offseason.

Houston is now turning to Osweiler, who has just seven career starts—all last season while Peyton Manning recovered from a foot injury. Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com shared context of how the former Bronco and Hoyer stack up in their limited sample pool of early-career starts:

And in just last year’s numbers, where Hoyer had five more starts than Osweiler, Hoyer ranked higher than his replacement in both passer rating (91.4 to 86.4) and total QBR (59.6 to 48.8), according to ESPN.com’s Mike Sando.

Hoyer, 30, spent his first five seasons as a backup before finally getting a starting gig with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. But Cleveland moved on quickly, signing Josh McCown to compete with Johnny Manziel and pushing Hoyer to sign with the Texans last offseason.

He now finds himself seeking another starting gig, and the market for such a position seems limited early this offseason.